CDs, MP3 players, VHS/ VCR tapes, cassettes, telephones, box TV sets, camcorders and so many more: once considered ubiquitous devices and the 'next big thing' are now rendered almost obsolete in the face of something that is faster, shinier, trendier, smaller, thinner, digital or simply more convenient. The cycle of innovation, even though perpetual, is often marked by losses and obsolescence, some nostalgic and others deemed necessary collateral in moving the world forward. In this ceaseless cycle of progress, no groundbreaking innovation is ever introduced to the populace as a work in progress or as something to be eventually phased out, even if that is their eventual fate.

This can go all the way back to the introduction of the camera vis-à-vis visual arts, to film for photography, to digital for both and to streaming for cinemas. Planned obsolescence is the way of the modern world. Coexistence is not an option. Timeless is often out of time. Yet still, there are faint glimmers of hope in old guards, in cultural bastions, in festivals of revival, in romance, in nostalgia and in good old resistance. These are never not accompanied with the understanding that movement is inevitable. What is instead worrisome is the noise. “The old must die for the new to take its place”. Noisy indeed.

This week's dispatch walks this line between the old and the new. Reflections on Pradip Krishen's 'In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones' and its 4K restoration reminisce about a period of immense catalysis, yet lamenting how little has actually changed for the nation. OMA's long awaited New Museum extension, alongside SANAA's original building housing an already radical museum, finally opens in New York, prompting questions on identity and urban image along with authorship in architecture. STIR's account of the best offerings for Milan Design Week 2026 so far poses the somewhat nascent question of this global stage's seemingly everlasting influence and furore and whether the annual 'new' in the design world truly does equal innovation.

Cutting through the noise, a dispatch of hope: NFTs, the Metaverse and Open AI's Sora are the latest casualties in what can cautiously be termed a phenomenon, with billions in investments. Meanwhile, movies are being shot and projected on film en masse and vinyl sales have hit a record high after near fossilisation. The question to ask here is not if obsolescence is a variable condition, but where the noise is coming from.